Caroline Garcia, Marketa Vondrousova, Ashlyn Krueger and Wakana Sonobe have been added to the line-up for this year’s Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open.
The WTA 500 event, scheduled to take place from February 1-8 at Zayed Sports City, has been bolstered by the addition of four more talented players, with Garcia, Vondrousova and Krueger awarded wildcards for the main draw and Sonobe entering the qualifiers.
Tournament director Nigel Gupta said: “We are thrilled to announce four more top players for this year’s tournament. Both Caroline and Marketa boast a proven pedigree at the highest level, while Ashlyn and Wakana arrive as two of the sport’s rising stars.
“They join a brilliant line-up of talent and, with less than one week to go until the start of the event, we are set for the most exciting Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open to date.”
French star Garcia, 31, has won 11 WTA Tour singles titles and is a two-time major champion in doubles after winning the French Open in 2016 and 2022, alongside compatriot Kristina Mladenovic.
In the 2024 season, she reached the quarter-finals of the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, demonstrating her consistency at high-level tournaments. A WTA Finals champion in 2022, Garcia is known for her aggressive baseline play, making her a dangerous contender in Abu Dhabi.
Czech Vondrousova, 25, secured her first Grand Slam in 2023 when she defeated Ons Jabeur in the Wimbledon final, making history by becoming the first unseeded female to claim the title. She also won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after losing to Belinda Bencic in three sets.
American rising star Krueger, 20, has made significant strides in her career in the last 12 months. In 2024, she achieved her first main draw victory in a WTA 1000 event, defeating Garcia at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Krueger also reached the third round of the US Open, highlighting her ability to challenge top players on her day. Her powerful serve will make her an exciting player to watch in the UAE capital.
Aged just 17, Japan’s Sonobe is one of the game's brightest prospects and showcased her talent by winning the girls’ singles title at the Australian Open last weekend.
Sonobe, who was also a runner-up at last year’s US Open, took less than one hour to beat USA’s Kristina Penickova in straight sets, losing just a single game on her way to victory.
Garcia, Krueger and Sonobe will all be returning to Abu Dhabi having competed in the 2024 competition.
Garcia faced a challenging first-round match against Sorana Cirstea, where she was edged out in a three-set battle, while Krueger lost at the hands of eventual runner-up, Daria Kasatkina.
Sonobe, meanwhile, was beaten in straight sets by Bernarda Pera. Their return to Abu Dhabi sets the stage for compelling narratives and high-quality tennis.
This year’s edition of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open is set to be the most competitive yet, featuring many of the world’s best female players. Elena Rybakina will defend her title, while Bencic plays in Abu Dhabi for the first time since winning the inaugural event in 2023.
The field also includes Kasatkina, Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia, Spain’s Paula Badosa, and Tunisia’s Jabeur, who is expected to receive strong support from local fans.
Tickets for the tournament are now available from the official website. Children can attend the first five days of the tournament free of charge, while adult ticket prices start from just Dh25.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Lecce v SPAL (6pm)
Bologna v Genoa (9pm)
Atlanta v Roma (11.45pm)
Sunday
Udinese v Hellas Verona (3.30pm)
Juventus v Brescia (6pm)
Sampdoria v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sassuolo v Parma (6pm)
Cagliari v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Inter Milan (11.45pm)
Monday
AC Milan v Torino (11.45pm)
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Fernandes pen 2') Tottenham Hotspur 6 (Ndombele 4', Son 7' & 37' Kane (30' & pen 79, Aurier 51')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
Greatest Royal Rumble results
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Profile of Tamatem
Date started: March 2013
Founder: Hussam Hammo
Based: Amman, Jordan
Employees: 55
Funding: $6m
Funders: Wamda Capital, Modern Electronics (part of Al Falaisah Group) and North Base Media
THE BIO
Occupation: Specialised chief medical laboratory technologist
Age: 78
Favourite destination: Always Al Ain “Dar Al Zain”
Hobbies: his work - “ the thing which I am most passionate for and which occupied all my time in the morning and evening from 1963 to 2019”
Other hobbies: football
Favorite football club: Al Ain Sports Club
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
